Spatula roots out that last drop of shampoo

Shampoo spatula

Cheryl Rigdon photo

Cheryl Rigdon photo

Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz Tribune Newspapers

The thrifty waste-nots among us take pains to shake out every last trickle of shampoo, glob of moisturizer or dollop of salad dressing. And yet perfectly good product always manages to cling to the insides of not-quite-empty bottles, no matter how aggressively you pound them against the counter or how long you leave them standing upside down.

A simple solution comes to the rescue: Spatty, a mini, skinny spatula that fits into small bottle openings so that you can scrape out every last bit. Creator Cheryl Rigdon, a speech pathologist who lives in South Carolina, launched the Spatty and its larger cousin, the Spatty Daddy, to address her own annoyance at discarding expensive bottles of lotions and makeup with unreachable product still at the base.

Featured on Shark Tank, ABC's reality TV show showcasing aspiring entrepreneurs pitching ideas to potential investors, the Spatty didn't get an investment deal there, but the publicity flooded Rigdon with orders.

I tried the Spatty Daddy in an old pump bottle of Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer that I've been loath to throw away. The little spatula scooped out loads of cream that my fingers had been unable to reach, extending the life of the bottle by two weeks, and in a more sanitary fashion. Spattys are dishwasher safe.

Unfortunately, even the smaller Spatty couldn't help with my squeeze bottle of Clinique moisturizer, so tiny is that opening, so it is not a panacea.

The Spatty comes in two sizes: the original is 6 inches long with a 5/8-inch-by-3/8-inch rubber tip ($5.99); the Spatty Daddy is 12 inches long with a 7/16-inch-by-5/8-inch tip ($6.99). Each size comes in blue or pink and can come in a combo set ($10.99). There is, yes, also a Spaddy Caddy ($2), for storage. For details and to order, visit thespatty.com.